February 24, 2012

Our Guest Bathroom Makeover

When we moved into our 1970's fixer-upper, I was faced with a boring, outdated, old bathroom. Also faced with a small budget, I knew I had to come up with ideas to update our bathroom that wouldn't cost a lot of money. Well, with a little brainstorming and a lot of paint, I think I came up with some pretty neat ideas to take our bathroom from drab to fab!
I decided that if I was going to save money, I would need to work with what was already there. Here is what I ultimately was able to achieve with this room for less than $200.

And I totally put a bird on it.

So that you can see how far this bathroom has come, here is what it looked like when we first moved into the house.

Tons of outdated wood, drab walls, and zero character.I wasn't deterred though, as I knew there were things I could do to improve this little space.So, let's talk about what I did.

The first thing I did was paint our outdated trim and cabinetry white. Then, I painted the walls and added a striped accent wall.Doing all of this totally updated the space and saved me tons of money by not having to replace the items that were already there.

I also replaced the old hardware on the vanity with modern brushed silver pulls.

We were able to leave the flooring alone since the tile was in good shape, but I'm going to come back to this room later and paint the grout like I did in the kitchen and master bath.

For all who have asked, that awesome rug was from Marshall's.

We also stopped any prying eyes by hanging faux-wood blinds, and also replaced the towel rod with a sleek modern version.

The towel ring was also replaced.
One of my favorite updates was removing the builder grade mirror, and replacing it with an ornate silver mirror that I found at Marshall's. I had contemplated just framing it in like I did here, but once I found this mirror I decided I like it better.

Oh, and see that faucet below? If you look at the above picture, you can see that it used to be gold.

The faucet had the whole two-tone thing going on, so I came up with an easy way to fix it that didn't involve replacing it.

I removed the handles and drain stopper and spray painted them withthis silver spray paint and then I used this metallic paint pen (affiliate links) and brushed it around the gold parts on the bottom and at the tip of the spout. The whole upgrade cost me so much less than it would have if I had replaced the faucet, and it's held up great!

Another fave part of the bathroom is the bird art gallery wall I created.

It's one of my fave art ideas and it cost me zero dollars.

Print. Frame. Hang. ART.

Then, I just accessorized. I found a pretty mirrored soap container that looked great with the mirror.

And some snazzy curtain hooks, too.

One last detail: Here is the little mirror I repurposed. I needed something to fill the space, and had an old gold mirror I wasn't using. I spray painted it white and lightly sanded all of the raised parts for a shabby chic look. It's actually exactly like the mirror I used in the office that was converted into a chalkboard.

Wow, everything you did is SO fantastic!!! And when I read that you got a new faucet I was like "noooo you can paint that too!" AND nevermind you did!! You are seriously awesome. Most people just aren't that brave or creative!!! And I agree, horizontal stripes ARE a pain the butt but OH SO WORTH IT!!! :)

Great job! We actually live in Portlandia, LOL so I ♥ that you "put a bird on it!" :)

We actually DO have the worlds ugliest bathroom, but since we are moving later this year, we just did as many easy updates as we could-its my latest post, too-must be the time of year for bathroom updates! :)

REALLY enjoyed your guest post over at This Little Momma today! This bathroom is awesome -I never would have thought to do the half wall striped -BRILLIANT -going to remember this! Thanks for sharing, glad to find you.

Hi there! I saw this over at Roeshel's and had to come by and tell you that this is such a gorgeous transformation! :-) I just spray painted a faucet in our mudroom and isn't it incredible what a difference it makes? And you can't beat the price! We would love to have you share this with us tomorrow when our Inspiration Friday party goes up in the afternoon. Hope you'll stop by! Vanessa

Thank you so much Vanessa! So sweet of you to come tell me! Yes, spray painting the faucet was so easy! It has been bothering me for nearly 2 years and I had always planned on just tearing it out and replacing it. But then once I started the 'makeover' it occured to me that a quick spray paint might work! I was so tickled when it turned out so nice! Great discovery!! I will definitely stop by to link up! :)

Absolutely! I'm not sure about the paint colors off hand, so let me dig through our paint closet & look for the exact name. I know it was Behr paint. The rug was actually from Marshalls, but it was the only one, so it might not be available in other areas! I've had so many people ask, and I wish I knew where else it could be found! Thank you so much for the sweet compliments! I'm thrilled to have a new follower! Welcome! :)

I am in LOVE with your bathroom! We are just moving into our first home this week and this is going to be the inspiration for the first floor half bath. It has a perfect wall for the stripes and is right inside the front door so people will see it as soon as they walk in. How wide are the stripes? My husband has actually agreed to paint stripes!

Thank you so much Angela! That makes my day to hear that! The stripes were about 11 inchese I think. What I did was measure the height of the wall and divide it by how many stripes you want and then you have a nice equal number for each stripe. The taping up of the stripes is the hardest past. Just use a level, measure them, and score the edges of the tape with a credit card to seal them down so no paint bleeds underneath. Then make sure to remove the tape while the paint is still wet so the tape doesn't pull off any paint. It's really a pretty easy project...especially for the impact it makes! Would love to see pictures when you are done! If you send them to me, maybe I can feature them in a post! :)

I'm in love with your bathroom!! My husband is out of town for the weekend and I think I just found a new project to surprise him with :) Thanks!!! BTW I'm loving the shower curtain. Where did you find it?-Liz

I have just discovered your blog! The bathroommakeover makes me want to go upstairsto our master and get to work! I am getting intomirrors in a big way-the mirror over your vanity is to die foras I have a constructiongrade mirror glued tothe wall - UGH. I am afraid that I will leave gaping holes (dry wall) that will take more than just a little spackle.Was there any trick to figuring out how much glue was behindthe mirror? Love, love your blog! Karen

Wow, wow, WOW! Virginia, you did an aMAzing job with this! I love all the little details...it looks just gorgeous. I cannot believe you spray painted that faucet. It looks incredible! Your color scheme looks great {as do the birds :)} and you had me at the striped wall. Pinning for sure. Thanks for sharing at Shine on Fridays!

Fabulous job! This bathroom would definitely make me happy, too.:-) Thanks so much for sharing all your creative ideas. Found you through Addicted 2 Decorating. I'm now following and look forward to seeing more of your terrific blog!

I would also love to have you and your kitty come join in the fun at our Rockin' Pet Linky Party starting tomorrow in Honor of National Pet Week. Have a great weekend!Sharla

Great choice on colors used to paint mirror and chandelier! You are major talented! I also fell in love with beautiful dust ruffle! I love the fabric, longer length and the beautiful way it looks ! Was this ruffle purchased or made? I am sure I can make it - just need some idea of fabric.Karen - kmcol@charter.net

I loved your bathroom so much that I copied the striped wall. I painted mine navy blue with a gray and white striped wall. I was wondering where you got the accent rug in front of the sink? I love it and would like to find something similar in order to tie in more of the gray. Thanks so much!

SUCH a serene, beautiful space! Hahahaha, I loved your reference to Portlandia. I grew up in that area, so I have felt compelled to watch that show, although I've got a little catching up to do for sure. Thanks for sharing!

Looks great! Well done! Didn't read thru all the comments, so I'm not sure if someone mentioned it, but It will be interesting to see how the paint on the faucet hold up to frequent use and water. Keep us posted!

I'm new to your blog and love it! The horizontal stripes you painted in your bathroom inspired me to paint our guest bedroom and its lovely! Keep the awesome DIY/Decor blog posts coming because I love them!

Hey Viriginia! Just came across your blog and love your home. It's beautiful and I love the neutral pallette. I especially your bathroom makeover and the paint colors you used. I featured you on my blog today and just wanted to thank you for the inspiration. Have a great weekend! www.favoritepaintcolorsblog.com

Hi Virignia- Where did you find that gorgeous shower curtain? I am about to move into my first apartment and the bathroom is awful. Thank you for all your tips. I can't wait to see what I can do with my bathroom too :)

I am obsessed with your website! I am in the process of closing on a townhouse and I'm so excited it decorate it. Your projects are giving me a lot of ideas and I think I may need your expertise in updating a couple of rooms. :)

Love this!! I am wondering what kind of spray paint (brand and type) you used, as well as the paint pen? I am looking to redo ours in the black "oil rubbed bronze" and would LOVE to be able to paint vs. replace! I've already done our whole house's doorknobs and it is amazing how updated it looks. My garage door knob is scratched and the silver metal shows through, but all the others are holding up nicely. Thanks : )

Just found your blog and it has given me the inspiration, focus and hope that I need. I love French Provencial furniture, and your thrifty updates match what I'm going through. May I ask questions about how you updated your furniture through the comments? I'm about to purchase a dresser/credenza and I can see it needs a LOT of love in order for its true beauty to come out.

I've seen your posts on painting, which is how I got here to this page. I love how you painted your bathroom fixture.

I too live in a 1970s house. I have the ugliest bathroom known to man kind. It's this awful yellow. The tub, sink and toilet are all that 70s yellow. I also cannot afford to remodel the bathroom, so it's too bad that I can't paint those. :( I hate them!

Omg!! You are amazingly creative! I absolutely LOVE all of your ideas! My husband and I are in the process of buying our first home and your ideas will help update our home so much, making it our own cozy yet sophisticated & chic place! Thanks for sharing!

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Hi! I'm Virginia! I'm a newlywed & new homeowner who loves decorating and DIY projects. Making something new out of something old is what inspires me! I'm constantly looking for affordable ways to transform our house! This is my place to share inspirations and DIY! Oh, and maybe talk a little bit about my love for very fat cats. View my story